Here’s a mystery: Why would anyone want to go to PBS’s website? The answer, my dear readers, is elementary: PBS is where “Sherlock” resides.
In this BBC miniseries (episodes of which are available online, on DVD and will be cycling through once more on PBS), “Doctor Who” writers Steven Moffat and Mark Gatiss bring one of the world’s most famous duos, Sherlock Holmes and John Watson, into 21st century London. Gone are the cape and deerskin cap, the telegrams and the pipe: this Holmes is a stylish, eccentric, text messaging, self-admitted sociopath just out for the thrill of a good game.
Inspired by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle’s books, “Sherlock” draws from the Holmesian tradition to produce plots that are tense and exciting as well as fresh and inventive. Though Holmes is known for his verbosity, the show never gets tedious; healthy doses of action and a staging that are somewhat reminiscent of “CSI” add constant visual interest. The result is a series with a sleek, dark, rich look accompanied by fast pacing that, thanks to spot-on writing and some old-fashioned deduction, still appeals to viewers’ more intelligent sides. Not a second of the 39-minute episodes is ever boring, which is something even the show’s snarky title character can appreciate.
Even with an updated appearance and mysteries galore, no Sherlock adaptation would be worthwhile without the characters that made the series legendary. Played by Benedict Cumberbatch and Martin Freeman respectively, socially-deficient Holmes and loyal, sharp-shooting Watson are charismatic, entertaining and completely convincing as two very different men whose shared love for adventure leads to the friendship of a lifetime.
Besides, there’s nothing quite like watching the generally calm Watson deal with a flatmate who whips corpses and keeps severed heads in the refrigerator.
“Sherlock” is quick, referential and exceedingly brilliant, and its title character is even more so. The show, recently renewed for a second season, feels genuine and clever; though it borrows from an oft-used source, this “Sherlock” is new in every way that counts. It’s Holmes and Watson, now simply Sherlock and John, for a modern audience.